Outbound Reviewed: Mountain Biking with Smith's Session Helmet

When I was young my dad worked at a non-profit organization whose mission it is to help people living with traumatic brain injury. I saw first-hand the profound impact that such an injury can have on one person, their family, and their friends. So when I got my hands on a Session helmet from Smith Optics—featuring MIPS technology—I was psyched.

MIPS technology, developed in Sweden, helps to protect the brain during a fall by reducing rotational motion and redirecting rotational energies. Say what? Essentially, it helps to protect your brain from getting the full force of an impact. I don't know about you, but I'm happy to let a helmet take the brunt of a fall epic enough to bash my head against the ground. 

In addition to it's safety features, the Session helmet is all-around bad ass. The massive vents on the top let my head breathe on even the hottest days, and the fit system fine-tunes the sizing of the helmet. An adjustable, three-level visor keeps the sun out of my eyes, and flips up to hold goggles easily.

I do have one struggle with the Session helmet, and that is my long hair. The addition of MIPS adds small buttons on the inside of the helmet, which my hair loves getting wrapped around. Also, because the helmet comes down low on the back of the head, I found that my hair constantly pushed the helmet up and over my forehead. At the end of the day, both of these are minor annoyances in the face of what is a comfortable, well-vented, safety-forward helmet.

Because truthfully, all that matters is protecting your noggin'...for you and for those you love.